Different Too
by pesky.lil.critter
Summary: Yes, it's a pun. Sequel to Different. Post-Hogwarts. Children, Weddings and a War.
1. Different Too

**AN: **I'm proud to present you with the sequel to Different. Once again my mom was a great help to me even if she doesn't know it (I was angry at her and instead of spending the evening with my family I started writing). The chapters will probably longer than before and a lot more detailed. Love, Annabeth 3

**Different Too**

For Aletha Freeman-Black February 1. 1983 began relatively normal.

She woke up around 5 am to the baby kicking her bladder. After relieving herself she went to the kitchen to start some coffee. Then she returned to the bedroom to wake Sirius.

He grumbled and tried to swat her away but she threatened to unload a bucket of snow on him and he suddenly changed his mind about staying in bed.

Grinning, Aletha took some orange juice from the fridge and toast from the bread drawer. While she poured herself second glass Sirius entered the kitchen and attacked the coffee. When he was done with his first cup he smiled at her and went to the bathroom.

He came back twenty minutes later, dressed and ready for work. Before he left he kissed Aletha on the lips, stroked her belly and said good bye as he was opening the door.

She finished her breakfast and cleaned it up with a wave of her wand. Then she took a bath. Ever since she'd started gaining so much weight the bathtub was the only place she didn't feel like a mother whale. She loved her baby and she'd never really cared about her figure but dragging around an extra person was exhausting.

Lying in the warm water thinking about the little miracle she and Sirius had created, Aletha never even noticed when her water broke.

Lily Evans was organizing reports on sightings of magical creatures by muggles when she heard her name being shouted. She turned to see James running down the corridor. "Hi, James, what's wrong?" she asked when she saw the faint panic in his eyes. "Letha's in labour." He gasped out obviously having run through half the Ministry.

"Well, then what are we still doing here? Wait, have you contacted everyone?"

James shook his head and answered. "Snape doesn't know yet but he's at Saint Mungo's anyway." He grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go."

Severus Snape was sitting in the waiting room with Remus, Pettigrew and Kassandra when Lily fell out of the fireplace followed by Potter. He got up and started quietly talking to Lily. "Aletha's fine, Black's more than nervous than Pettigrew before exams and the baby's in a hurry. Any questions?" She smiled and shook her head. Together they sat down to wait.

Sirius Black was staring at his newborn daughter in awe. She was sleeping with her fist beside her head, her mouth in a little 'Oh'. She was beautiful.

He heard the door open and turned to see James walk toward him followed by the rest of their friends.

Before anyone could ask Aletha said, "It's a girl and her name is Pandora. It means gift of the gods." She smiled exhaustedly.

"James, we've discussed this at length and we'd like you to be her godfather. We won't name anyone godmother since you're single but I think you'll all be around her so much that she'll regard you all as family. Yes, even you, Snape." Sirius added when he saw the look on Snape's face. He hid a grin when he saw Lily's elbow hit Snape's ribs.

Suddenly Pandora started crying and James picked her up before Sirius had a chance and started to murmur something quietly. It was inaudibly to everyone in the room but it seemed to soothe the baby. She snuggled against James' chest and he sat down on a chair by the window, never taking his eyes off the child in his arms.

"Wow." Aletha whispered. Everyone nodded and they watched James for a few more moments before Kassandra asked Peter something, Severus started talking to Aletha and Lily, and Remus teased Sirius about his nervousness.

Later when they were sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, Lily said to Severus, "You love her, don't you?"

"Who?" he asked. She nudged him and he nudged back. "You mean Pandora?" he felt her nod against his shoulder. "Never."

He was startled when Lily laughed. "It seems that some things never change." She grinned up at him. Then she sat up and said soberly, "But we all have changed. James isn't such an arrogant prat anymore. Remus has learned to have some fun. Peter's never been this confident and independent. Aletha can see the fun in some of what Sirius does and Sirius can see that rules aren't completely pointless. I learned to let my friends fight their own battles instead of constantly stepping in. And you, Severus, you're different too. You're a good Healer, you laugh more and you have true friends. I love you." For a minute neither of them moved, eyes still locked on each other.

"Did you know that I hate it when you're right?" Severus asked into the silence. Lily nodded, grinning.

They went back to watching the fire in silence.

Suddenly Severus sat up, nearly pushing Lily off the couch. "Why don't we get married? I mean, we love each other, we're engaged, we've been living together for six years and we both have steady jobs. Let's just do it."

"You're not one to rush into anything, Severus. Why the hurry?"

He shrugged. She sighed.

"I'm tired. We can talk about this in the morning." Then she got up and went to the bedroom. He sighed and followed her.

**PS: **I'm not really sure about the ending but I sort of want the wedding over with. And besides, they're going to be too distracted with other things to plan a wedding for a while. Suggestions are welcome! See you next time.


	2. Love, Hate, Marry, Date

**AN:** Hello again! I feel almost as if I'm talking to myself in my ANs. Review, people, review! And tell your friends and parents and siblings about this story! I love to write for the sake of my personal entertainment but a little encouragement and some suggestions would not go amiss. I am introducing a few more characters in this chapter and if I do it right, it'll be the longest one yet. Enjoy the show!

Love, Annabeth 3

**Love, Hate, Marry, Date**

**Love**

Narcissa Malfoy was not on any scale a weak woman.

She hadn't let her sister Andromeda sway her views on Muggleborns, Muggles and Halfbloods when she was fifteen.

She hadn't let her sister Bellatrix sway her views on violence, torture and murder when she was seventeen.

She hadn't let her husband Lucius persuade or force her into becoming a Death Eater when she was nineteen.

She hadn't let the birth of her son, and the emotion that came with it, convince her of the worth of love when she was twenty.

Narcissa Malfoy was strong and resilient and no one ever made her do anything she didn't want.

Well, until her son Draco first called her 'Mama'.

All the walls of ice that surrounded her heart had melted away in that single moment. She had entered Draco's room and he had looked up and smiled that smile he reserved for his mother. His blue eyes had lit up and he'd shouted "Mama!" his voice full of happiness and surprise.

And Narcissa had done something she hadn't done since she was five. She took off her robes and sat on the floor. She smiled and played with her son. She made funny noises to amuse him and tickled him when he hurt himself and cried.

She spent an afternoon pretending she was a normal young mother. And she enjoyed it.

As she lay in bed that evening she thought about the future and she realized that she would do anything to keep Draco alive and unharmed. And she could only think of one place he would be safe.

In the morning she would contact an old friend. He'd help her get what she wanted.

**Hate**

Tom Marvolo Riddle, more widely known as Lord Voldemort, truly hated them. He hated that they dared be happy when they should be cowering in fear. He'd been brought news that Black's Mudblood bitch had given birth to a girl. He even knew the child's name; Pandora. Ridiculous. The irony, however, was not lost on him.

But Lord Voldemort was not concerned with children's names as much as how to rid himself of them and their Mudblood and Bloodtraitor parents.

His informants had told him that the Pettigrew boy had visions of the future. He remembered Peter Pettigrew. When he and his friends had still been in school one of his Death Eaters had tried to persuade the boy to join Lord Voldemort and receive power and respect. The girl had paid dearly for her failure by losing her younger sister.

That brought him to a full circle. He hated them. He didn't feel much besides hatred these days. There was the satisfaction over another victory, and the pleasure he got from another's pain but even those were rare since Dumbledore had assembled his little Order. For once not caring that he sounded like a petulant child Lord Voldemort (he _never _forgot the title in his own thoughts) repeated silently '_I hate them! I hate them! I hate them! I hate them...'_

He'd unleash his anger and frustration upon the next person he met. Be they foe or friend.

**Marry**

James Potter was uncomfortable. He tried to console himself with the thought that anyone in his position would be. He was attending the wedding of the woman he loved and the man he…disliked. After all he'd stopped hating Snape when he saw how happy he made Lily. And besides, the man actually had a sense of humour which, amazingly, James could relate to.

Looking around, James realized how few people were present. Sirius was sitting beside him with Pandora sleeping in his arms while Aletha was Lily's Matron of Honour. Best man was surprisingly enough Regulus Black. Frank and Alice Longbottom with their three year old son Neville were sitting behind James and Sirius. Mr. and Mrs Evans were sitting in front of James.

On the other side of the aisle were Peter, Kassandra and Remus. In front of them were Eileen Snape and Albus Dumbledore. Tobias Snape had died when his son was seventeen but James doubted that he would have attended if he'd lived even if Snape would have wanted him to.

"You may now kiss the bride." The words startled James out of his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see the newlyweds smile at each other, close their eyes and kiss. He looked away as fast as he could.

It still hurt like it had when he'd first seen them kiss. Well, there was nothing he could do, nothing he wanted to do. He'd resigned himself to that when he'd seen how they acted together.

James allowed himself a mental pity party until Regulus and Aletha's speeches at the reception. When the two had finished James got up and walked onto the free area where the other two had held their speeches. "Ladies and Gentlemen." he paused for effect. "And Padfoot. There are some things I'd like to say. Sn-Severus, I'm sorry. The things Sirius and I did to you in school were, simply put, bullying. That was immature and mean and I was a spoilt little prat. You're not as bad as I always said you were though I have to admit that the main reason I like is that you make Lily happy." People laughed at that but both Lily and Sn-Severus looked astonished and surprised. "Lily, I love you. Always have, always will. But as much as I'd prefer it wasn't true, you're probably better off with Severus. I'm sorry for harassing you so much in school." James took a deep breath and pushed away all feelings of self-pity and jealousy and smirked. "Now, onto the interesting part of this little speech." The couple looked worried, Remus was shaking his head in exasperation and Sirius looked eager to hear it. "I would like to inform you, Mr. and Mrs Snape, that you were not completely alone that day at the beginning of sixth year." Their worry had morphed into a mixture of embarrassment and horror so James went on, turning to the guests. "Having said that, I'm going to tell you of Severus and Lily's very first kiss which I was privileged enough to witness."

After sufficiently embarrassing the newlyweds James, once again had to say goodbye to Remus. There had been a werewolf attack two days before, in Crawley, halfway between London and Brighton. The target had been a large family, grandparents, parents and three daughters. Only the oldest daughter had survived but she'd been bitten nonetheless. Normally the girl would have been taken to St. Mungo's but she'd run away before the Aurors in charge of the case had a chance to take her there. Remus had taken it upon himself to explain things to her and to bring her Wolfsbane.

James hoped his friend knew what he was doing.

**Date**

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

"I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING!"

"THAT'S SORT OF THE POINT, MORON!"

"WELL, WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT THEN?"

"I JUST DID!!"

And unidentifiable sound of frustration followed right before two different doors slammed almost simultaneously. Lily winced and sighed. That had been going like that for almost two months, ever since Remus left.

Kassandra and Peter had been fighting constantly over the smallest most inconsequential things. And because both lived at headquarters they were close all the time which led to much door slamming. Lily had been contemplating Cushioning Charms on all the door frames for the last one and a half months. Before that she and Severus had enjoyed their Honeymoon.

A voice behind her startled her out of her thoughts. "Maybe we should put Cushioning Charms on the doorframes." She turned around to see Severus standing a few steps behind her.

"I was thinking the exact same thing just now. But I have a better idea." Severus visibly perked up at that. "We'll need James and Sirius' help." Severus' shoulders slumped just a little. Lily grinned.

Once Lily explained the plan to them Sirius and James agreed enthusiastically. So on a Wednesday morning Peter and Kassandra each received a note telling them to attend an impromptu meeting in the basement where all meetings were held.

What neither of them knew was that four of their friends were already waiting for them to arrive. If they had they might not have come.

Kassandra arrived first, Peter only minutes later. As soon as they were inside Severus cast a monitoring spell on them. He'd learned it in Healer training to be able to monitor the patient's condition. They'd decided that it would be useful for what they were intending to do.

Then they shut and locked the door complete with light wards and a handy little spell that allowed them to hear everything spoken in the meeting room.

Then they settled in to wait.

It started out exactly the way Lily had anticipated. Peter and Kassandra were silent for a few minutes, until they realized they had been tricked. When the door wouldn't open the two abandoned their silence and started banging against the door screaming for someone to open it. As the minutes trickled by threats and curses (the non-magic kind) got mixed in. Lily watched as James' and Sirius faces contorted into pained grimaces and even Severus cringed at some of the things Kassandra shouted. She had to admit, Lily thought. The girl was creative.

But eventually the two gave up. The four outside listened to the two inside discussing revenge for a while and then it became silent.

Suddenly Severus groaned. At the others' puzzled looks he said, "Peter doesn't have his wand with him but he's always carrying around that little notepad and a pencil. I was the one to suggest it so he wouldn't forget his visions before he could tell someone about them. Now we'll never find out what they're talking about. And what kind of revenge we should watch out for." They grimaced collectively at the last sentence.

They never found out what was said between Kassandra and Peter while they were locked in the meeting room.

One thing, however, was certain. The only permanent habitants of the Order's headquarters were now dating.

And revenge was sweet.

**PS: **Okay, so I lied about them being too distracted to plan a wedding for a while.

I'm afraid the line _(he never forgot his title in his own thoughts)_ is not from me. Unfortunately I can't remember where I read so I find myself unable to give credit to whomever it belongs.

On another note, I'm already working on the next chapter. It's about half done.

See ya soon!

Love, Annabeth 3

**PPS: ***huge grin* This chapter has 1.707 words. Without title or ANs.


	3. Problems Forming

**Problems Forming**

Peter Pettigrew was feeling groggy which was strange since it was already 11am and he'd been up since 7am and he'd just had a cup of black coffee so there was no reason for him to be tired or anything.

Out of habit he glanced at the clock, closed his eyes and shook his head before looking again.

It was 11:37. Peter had only looked at the clock a few minutes ago, there was no way this much time could have passed.

Suddenly Kassandra entered the room, startling him out of his thoughts. "Peter, we need to leave, something's happened. Dumbledore said we need to come to Lily and Severus' place." She was still talking and Peter could see her lips moving but the words didn't reach his brain. Lily's name had caused a flood of images and feelings.

Love. Associated with a daffodil, curled around it was a tiny dragon.

Fear. The scene accompanied by the feeling showed the daffodils vibrant yellow fading while the dragon grew and moved away from the flower and toward a painfully bright light and the dragon's scales dulled.

Tentative hope. A flower Peter knew to be a fire lily appeared beside the daffodil and a snake moved toward the dragon. The newcomers soothed the others' fear while a stag and a huge black dog shielded them from the light. Peter recognized them as Prongs and Padfoot. The light flared in what appeared to be cold fury.

He could see other plants, animals and symbols in the background but they didn't seem particularly important.

'Funny.' Peter thought. 'If I knew who the daffodil, the dragon and the light are, I'd probably know what to do.' Then he lost consciousness.

Kassandra Lupin watched in astonishment as Peter collapsed sideways on the couch. That was not the reaction she'd expected. She would have understood horror and pity, even pain but definitely not fainting. At least he'd had the good sense to fall on the couch instead of the floor.

She sighed and took a mirror out of her pocket. "James Potter." She said to it. A few seconds later her friend's face appeared on the surface. "Do me a favour and send Letha or Severus here." She glanced at Peter then back to James. "I think I need a Healer for this one." She continued dryly.

James nodded, smiled and said goodbye. Five minutes later Aletha came through the fireplace. "What's wrong, Kassy?" Kassandra pointed at Peter.

"He fainted when I told him what happened." Aletha's worried expression acquired some humour. "He didn't look like he was listening to me though." Aletha drew her wand and cast a spell on Peter that made his body glow in different colours.

"Looks like he would after a sleepless night. His body's completely exhausted but his mind's working like crazy. We should let him rest and question him when he wakes up. The last time I saw him like this was when he had that vision about Frank and Alice." Kassandra nodded while Aletha conjured a stretcher and levitated Peter on it before directing it to his bedroom with her wand.

He didn't know where he was. He didn't know who he was for that matter.

He could hear voices but they sounded like they were very far away.

He tried to get closer to the voices because they sounded familiar and comforting but he couldn't move.

Now the voices were leaving and he couldn't follow.

He was alone and lost and exhausted.

Curled up and lost in his own mind, Peter fell asleep.

Several miles away in a house on the outskirts of a small village Severus Snape was trying to comfort his wife. He was pretty sure he wasn't doing a very good job.

Lily was sitting on the sofa in the exact same position she'd been in for at least half an hour. So far she hadn't cried, she hadn't denied what happened. She hadn't moved at all except to breathe and blink. Severus had tried talking to her, holding her, making silly faces in front of her. Lily hadn't reacted at all and her husband was now desperate and exhausted.

So he sat down beside her held his head in his hands and let himself be overcome by his own grief. He cried bitterly, quietly at first until the sobbing started. And then, suddenly, Lily's arms were around him and he moved to return her embrace. They sat there for a while, not a word was spoken and still they conveyed everything that needed to be said.

Lily fell asleep first and Severus had just enough presence of mind to manoeuvre them into a more comfortable position.

And that was how James found them three hours later.

Someone was shaking her. She tried to snuggle into the warm presence beneath her but that was shaking too. A voice whispered in her ear. "Wake up, Lily. Come on, something's the matter with Peter." The voice moved away and said a bit louder, "Help me wake her up, Severus. Peter had a vision and Letha says it was a major one. Dumbledore is calling a meeting. We've got to get going."

She felt Severus move to shake her and mumbled, "No shaking. 'M up." Then she blinked and lifted her hand to rub her eyes. Lily got a brief impression of Severus' shirt and James face, then the events of the last few hours caught up with her sleep-slow brain and she ran to the bathroom to throw up.

She could feel tears running down her face while she remembered Dumbledore's grave face as he left the fireplace. Then the numbness the news of her parents' death caused. And guilt, because her only thought throughout all that had been '_I'm having a baby and my parents will never know. Mum will never drive me crazy with her shopping sprees and dad will never faint from shock. I won't have to listen to mum discussing baby clothes and breast-feeding techniques with Letha or to dad telling embarrassing baby stories about me and Tuney. I won't be able to call mum in the middle of the night for some totally pointless question. I'll never watch them hold my baby._'

She was spitting out water when a horrible thought struck her. _I haven't even told Severus._

She could feel him there by her side, rubbing her back and keeping her hair out of her face.

She opened her mouth to tell him but then James was calling for them and she thought, '_Later. I'll tell him later._'

They left home in complete silence. Lily didn't even notice the difference.

James was worried. One of his friends was currently knocked out because he'd had some kind of vision. Another was obviously lost in grief and puking all over the place. A third was grieving and trying to take care of his wife at the same time. And on top of that, one of his friends was somewhere alone with a young werewolf who was also a muggle. No one had heard from him in three months.

Headquarters was still mostly empty when James arrived through the fireplace. He heard the fire flare again and Lily stumbled out, closely followed by Severus.

They were both pale and their eyes were a bit red. Well, at least the green tinge had left Lily's face.

Lily and Severus weren't wearing shoes and coats, unlike James so he took a bit longer leaving the entrance hall where the fireplace was located. He was taking off his coat when he heard the whoosh of someone arriving by Floo. He turned just in time to see a young man stumble out, arms wrapped around someone. They regained their balance and stepped apart.

James watched the man, whose back was to him, brush some soot from the woman's hair. She was the same height as the man and had short blond hair. He wasn't sure but he thought her eyes might be brown.

Then the man turned around to put away his shoes and coat and James blurted, "Remus!" at the same time the man said, "James." They stared at each other for a few moments.

"Why don't we all go to the meeting room? I'm sure the Headmaster is already waiting." Remus said in that quiet calm tone, that always made James want to shout at him and obey at the same time. But he just nodded at his friend and the woman, and left.

Of course, Remus was right. Dumbledore _was_ waiting. And he kept waiting until Remus and the girl took their seats.

"I welcome you all but I fear this meeting will be even less pleasant than usual. Nicholas and Julia Evans were murdered last night simply for being related to one of our number. I ask you all to alert those family members capable of protecting themselves to the threat and to offer protection to those that aren't. Lily, I'm sorry to have to make this such a public event but I'd rather not have the same thing happen to other parents, siblings and children. On a brighter note, I'm glad to announce Remus Lupin's return." People smiled and waved as Dumbledore sat down and Remus got up to speak.

"I'm glad to be back, Professor." He smiled. "We've found out who attacked the Muggle family in Crawley and that she works for Voldemort. The werewolf's name is Andrea Baumer. She grew up in Germany and moved to Cambridge when she was twenty to study and was bitten when she took a midnight stroll on a full moon. Her parents are both Muggleborn and they haven't heard from their daughter since her first full moon. That was three years ago. Professor, it's bad. The werewolves on Voldemort's side are from all over the world and they keep coming. Not many are willing to fight at all and those who are think they have a better chance at equal rights if they support Voldemort." Suddenly the woman lightly punched Remus' arm and he bent down toward her. They had a short conversation in hushed whispers before Remus straightened up again. "I lost a bet so here goes. I, Remus Lupin, do hereby admit that I am not superior to anyone of lesser intelligence, talent or magical capability. Also, I am pleased to announce that Jessika Reynolds is my girlfriend and I am thoroughly whipped." He grimaced. "Are you happy now?"

She grinned. "Very." James could see Aletha and Lily giggling behind their hands while their husbands seemed to be torn between sympathy, glee and gratefulness. Dumbledore was probably smiling behind his beard and his eyes were twinkling madly. A few people were laughing openly and some were wearing pained grimaces similar to Remus' expression.

James himself was still too angry and disappointed about the utter lack of communication over the last months. There was another tiny little feeling, a thought in the back of his mind, involuntary and heavy. The feeling was jealousy and the thought was, 'Why can't I have that?' _That_ being love. James ignored both.

The next one up was Aletha. "Peter is fine physically but it's like he's in a waking coma.I think he's more or less aware of what's going on around him and he simply can't wake up yet. As long as someone's with him at all times he'll be fine. We should take shifts, talk to him, stroke his head, hold his hand, things like that."

The meeting went on as usual. Different people reported the progress of their mission, information found at the ministry, new contacts within the Death Eater ranks. Then those same things were discussed. New missions were given out, new projects started.

Afterwards most stayed to socialize a bit but James made sure that everyone on their little group knew to meet him in his flat. There was a lot to talk about.

_There was a sharp crack and a black shape appeared out of thin air. The figure started moving and it became apparent that it was a human wearing a great black cloak. Whether male or female was not distinguishable._

_After walking for ten minutes though dark narrow streets a young man wearing a cloak similar to the on the first figure wore. His was less voluminous and he had left his hood off._

_Both drew wooden sticks from their cloaks and pointed them at each other. Then the man spoke, "Your greatest fear?"_

"_My son's death. And your own?" It became apparent when the figure spoke that it was a woman. Her voice was soft, without being timid or quiet, and high without being annoying or painful._

_The man chuckled low in his throat. "Becoming like my brother." Then he pulled something from the collar of his cloak and held it out for the woman to look at._

_She examined the thing for a moment and pulled something from her own collar. In the process a strand of hair slipped out from under her hood. It was a honey colour and fell down her chest in great ringlets._

_While the man examined her necklace she tucked her hair back behind her ear. Then the man let go of the necklace and handed her something else. She hugged him to conceal her next words to him. "We shall meet again soon, Cousin. Take care."_

_He answered just as quietly, "And the same to you, Cousin."_

_They let go of each other abruptly, turned around and each left in the direction they had come from. After ten minute's walk there were two sharp cracks in very different parts of London and two people disappeared without a trace._

**PS: **Yay! This chapter has 2.286 words. Without the title! If anyone can guess who those Cousins at the end are I'm going to send them the title of the next chapter and a short Sneak-Peak.

Read you all soon!

Love, Annabeth 3

*frantically typing the next chapter to be able to make good on promise*


	4. Like Festering Wounds

**AN:** March 27, 2010. My sister broke her nose today. Her friend fell on top of her. Then she and my mom brought the shopping home and left to go to the hospital. I watched them walk down the stairs and when my sister had left the house I said to mom, "I wish Luna was here."

A few hours later. Her nose wasn't broken after all. Just very badly bruised.

On to more important things (Sorry, lil sis). Adelina Potter is James' mother. Last chapter's problem are developing slowly. It is, unfortunately an extremely short chapter. Sorry.

Love, Annabeth 3

**Like Festering Wounds**

Lord Voldemort watched his Death Eaters discuss strategy, futilely trying to keep his mind on the conversation. He hated where it wandered these days. Those blundering idiots, those stupid children had become his greatest obsession.

He'd spent the better part of six months finding out all there was about them. He knew their names, where they lived and where they worked. He knew about all their relatives, their childhood friends and their colleagues. He knew their weaknesses.

He'd made sure to reward the pair of Death Eaters that killed Adelina Potter.

Lord Voldemort hated all their love and friendship and he didn't understand it, but that little group had one dangerous weak spot and he intended to exploit it with something he did understand. Jealousy, hatred, possessiveness.

How lucky for Lord Voldemort that James Potter still loved Lily Snape.

Several Death Eaters looked up in fear when their master began laughing gleefully.

To James' great dismay they didn't get a chance to talk when they arrived at his place. Lily went off with Severus to the guest bedroom and Aletha hurried to tend to her crying daughter. Kassandra was looking pale and worried while Remus… James did a double take. Calm, cool, collected Remus, the boy who could lie convincingly under McGonagall's Stare, Remus was blushing. There were pink blotches on his cheeks and his ears and neck were bright red.

Suddenly Remus cleared his throat, blush disappearing rapidly and stood up. He dragged Jessika Reynolds up with him and the two started walking toward James and Kassandra who were sitting on the sofa. "I'm sorry that I didn't contact any of you over the last three months. The Death Eaters wanted to finish the job when they found out Jessy was still alive. She's a Muggle werewolf and the only survivor of a carefully aimed and planned attack. We have a lot to tell you but we should really wait until the others are here. And you won't like any of it..."

When Lily dragged him into the bedroom Severus was confused. Did she want to cry in private? Or did she want physical contact/comfort? Did she have any reason to fight with him?

The endless possibilities and scenarios his mind supplied on the short walk from the fireplace to the bedroom door kept getting worse and worse and he couldn't help watching his wife a bit apprehensively.

She motioned for him to sit on the bed as she closed the door. She paced for a while before pushing her hand through her hair then rubbing it over her face and then she sat down.

Severus moved one arm around her back and when she leaned into the touch he embraced her fully. "What's wrong, Lily?"

"Nothing." She said. Severus raised an eyebrow and snorted. "No, I mean it. nothing's _wrong_ exactly. Just… not quite right either." She made a little sound of frustration in her throat. "Severus, I'm pregnant. Aletha taught me how to confirm it before we went on our honeymoon and now there's this child growing inside me and mum and dad aren't here." She pushed away from Severus to be able to look in his eyes. "They'll never get to hold our baby. And this child will never know her grandparents. I just… This is all so much at once. How am I ever going to manage this?" Her eyes were shining with tears and Severus hugged her close again, stroking her hair with one hand while the other wandered down to her belly.

"_You_ won't. But _we_ will. Don't think that you're alone in this. This is our child and we'll raise it and love it and we can tell him or her all sorts of stories about your parents. It won't be the same but it will have to be enough. We'll survive. All of us will. We'll survive and we'll be a family. I _refuse_ to let anything destroy that. Okay?"

She sort of smiled but it came out teary and lopsided. "I love you."

He smiled back at her and answered, "I love you, too."

And suddenly it wasn't so bad anymore.

He was alone. There had been people talking to him before, a woman singing. He liked her voice, it was familiar. At one point there had been another woman but her voice was…different somehow. She spoke with a sort desperate pleading, she held his hand (he had a hand? Then he must have a body.) and kissed his cheek. She stroked his hair and for a while she simply sat beside him. She kept saying, "I love you." but he couldn't understand what it meant. He knew he should but he couldn't understand it.

But then she went away, leaving him to contemplate the mess of pictures and futures and feelings in his head.

_Running running running gotta get outta here trapped where is my child need to take him away from here running running running not safe here where is my son need to save him help can't do this alone trapped light so much light no way out darkness bad bad bad need to leave have to get my child to safety running running running…_

I become aware that I'm panting. Once more I'm glad to have my own rooms instead of sharing my husband's quarters.

While I get up I try to calm myself but the nightmare that woke me still has me in its grip and it's only when I splash my face with icy water that my breathing and heart rate finally return to normal.

I check the picture frame enchanted to show Draco's bed. He's sleeping peacefully. Well, it _is_ four o'clock in the morning.

I go to the bathroom, prepare a bubble bath, take off my nightgown and let myself sink into the hot water until I have to push bubbles away from my face.

I stay there and relax for about half an hour then I let the water drain from the tub and turn on the shower. I don't wear the glamour on my hair to bed and the charm I use to keep it straight always wears off in my sleep so that my hair is fuller, thicker and darker than usual.

I wash my hair carefully, first with a special soap meant to enhance volume and curls, then with lotion to make my hair soft and silky.

Then I begin to wash the rest of my body. I always make sure to look my best but I never actually _look_ at myself. My normally pale skin is rosy from the water's heat. There are stretch marks from my pregnancy on my stomach. They're faded to near-invisibility now but three years ago they were still fresh and ugly. I move on to my legs, my arms, my shoulders, my back. The hot water feels good on my skin and stay under the spray for nearly fifteen minutes.

I use the soft towels to dry my skin and a spell to dry my hair. I walk through my bedroom into the closet. It has a huge mirror on one wall, surrounded by empty space.

My skin isn't pink anymore, now it's milky-white. My hair falls down to cover my breasts, honey instead of white-blond. Huge curls instead of straight strands. I watch my own eyes for a moment. Dark blue, quite unlike Lucius' steely silver. Then my gaze moves to my wand. I smile and it doesn't feel as strange as it once did.

Ollivander was surprised when it was this wand that chose me. But then as Mother was paying for it his expression was more satisfied than surprised and when we left he sent me a strange kind of smile through the shop window a she watched us go. White ash, eight and a half inches, Phoenix feather.

I know why I'm so anxious and nervous today. My cousin has finally been able to provide me with the means to escape. I know that Lucius will not be present today and if he does notice my leaving with Draco I have an excuse ready.

After all should the public not see the child? It could only be good for the Malfoys' image. And when my husband returns from the Dark Lord's side I shall be gone and my son shall be safe.

_A young woman was taking a walk with her son through the busy streets of London. The woman had dark-blond hair and was wearing an expensive dress and a warm cloak. It was raining and there were few people about._

_The woman was pushing a stroller ahead of her at an extremely slow pace, considering the weather. The little boy sitting in the stroller was watching the rain with childish delight and squealed loudly whenever a drop hit his face beneath the rain cape. His mother watched him with a somewhat wistful smile._

_Neither reacted when a man wearing a dark, hooded raincoat joined them at an intersection. The boy was too occupied with catching raindrops on his tongue and the woman knew who he was and what he was doing there._

"_I hope you are well?" the woman inquired politely. The man nodded and took one hand from his pocket. He appeared to be offering his companion a wallet. The woman went to the front of the stroller and took the boy in her arms then she instructed the man how to fold it up. When he was done he looked around suspiciously before he drew a long stick from his pocket and the stroller…began to __**shrink**__! He picked the miniature stroller up and put it in his pocket. The woman offered her arm and the man tapped the wallet with the stick and held it out to her. She put her son's hand on the wallet and made sure she was touching it too._

_The group stood there almost motionlessly for several minutes then the child shrieked, only to be cut off when…__**they vanished into thin air!**_

Petunia didn't know as much about the Wizarding world as she could but she knew enough. That kind of thing should _not_ happen in the middle of normal London.

She sighed deeply. She might as well write Lily when she got home.

Her sister might have some answers.

**PS:** Okay, so mom says that it isn't short. This chapter required much more conscious effort from me than I usually need so it might feel a little stiff and forced. Either way, see you soon, guys and gals ;D

Love, Annabeth 3


	5. Wakeup Calls

**Wakeup Calls**

_Dear Lily,_

_I'd rather not waste time with foolish trivia so I'll get straight to the point. Yesterday afternoon, at 3:40 something extremely strange happened. I was running an errand in London when I observed a man and a woman in her twenties with a boy my Dudley's age vanish where they stood. Not only that but the man made a stroller shrink with one of those wooden sticks you call wands._

_Luckily, I had a camera with me and managed to take several pictures of the three. They are enclosed._

_I will inform you if I witness similar occurrences._

_Petunia_

_PS: Congratulations on your wedding. And tell your husband that my opinion of him hasn't changed._

Lily sighed and put down the letter. This was not the reason she'd given her sister the means to contact her without an owl. On the other hand, this might actually be useful information, especially if they could find out who the three in the pictures were. Lily had looked at the pictures the moment she first finished reading the letter but the lighting wasn't good because of the clouds and the rain made it even harder to make out details. Lily sighed again, more deeply this time. Peter was still asleep but Aletha said it wouldn't take much longer. They had set up a meeting in Peter's room for that afternoon and Lily couldn't decide between anticipation and apprehensiveness.

She looked at her watch. She'd be off work in two hours and the meeting was half an hour later. She heaved another sigh. It might be indigestion but she had a weird feeling in her gut whenever she thought of this afternoon's meeting. A really not-good-weird sort of feeling.

There was only one series of pictures left for interpretation. He'd received those first but he knew they were important, and they were difficult to understand so he'd let them for last.

It was easy really. Animals, plant and other things replaced names and faces in his visions. It usually only took some word association for him to connect the person with their placeholder. And…Yes, he had it.

Jessika and Remus arrived first. Then Aletha and a few minutes later James and Sirius. Severus was there five minutes later and Lily arrived almost the exact second of the chosen time. Curiously, Kassandra was more than a quarter of an hour late.

They all looked tired and worn out, Jessika noted. It was a few days before full moon and she wasn't feeling too well herself.

After they finished greeting each other and assuring that they were all 'Just fine' (which, of course, was a collective lie) Remus began to speak. "We're in deep, deep trouble, my friends." James' muttered 'He sounds like Dumbledore.' "I'm serious-" he was interrupted again, this time by Sirius' "No, you're not. I'm Sirius." Jessika touched Remus' hand to calm him and said, very quietly. "Remus is right. Being an outsider, there are many things I don't know and don't understand. But even I can see how bad it is. Voldemort is gathering a huge army. Scratch that. Several armies. We have a few contacts in his ranks and they all say that he hasn't been able to persuade the giants to join him but the werewolves are flocking around him and negotiations with the vampires are progressing. A lot of young witches and wizards make up the outer ranks. He has people in Hogsmeade to prey upon impressionable children. Those that don't join willingly are threatened or bribed. If they don't give in he kills them. A few of the old families stick to monetary support and intend to stay neutral but at least the sons are likely to join anyways. At the Order meeting yesterday Remus didn't exaggerate. _Actually_, he left out a whole lot." It was silent for a bit before Severus spoke.

"How do you know you're contacts aren't lying or misleading you?"

Jessika rolled her eyes while Remus answered. "They have good reason to hate Voldemort. And besides, what did you think I needed so much Veritaserum for?" Jessika was sure she could see a faint hint of pink on Severus' cheeks.

"The Aurors will come of we call." said James. "Dad's old colleagues are helping us gain information and helpers. Unfortunately, we have no idea how many spies Voldemort has in the Ministry."

"Most of the Healers intend to survive out of pure stubbornness and because they wouldn't be any good for their patients if they were dead. The younger ones are willing to help us and try to hinder Death Eaters after they finish their training. Other than that we shouldn't expect much from that front." Severus didn't look like any of what was said concerned him but Jessika could see his hand clenching in Lily's.

"I'm pregnant." Lily braced herself for her friends' reactions. During the following minutes Jessika observed the others' reactions. Severus put his arm around Lily's shoulders in an obvious show of support. Aletha looked delighted. Sirius expression was funny. He looked like he was torn between pride, astonishment and disgust. Kassandra didn't react much at all, she just smiled tiredly. Remus was obviously happy for the parents-to-be. And James…

Well, James had his arms crossed in front of his chest and pinned a bright smile on his face but anger and something else that Jessika couldn't identify were clearly visible.

After accepting congratulations from everyone Lily spoke again. "There's something else. I received a letter from my sister this morning. She saw a man, a woman and a little boy vanish yesterday afternoon in the middle of London. I think they Apparated or they used a portkey. My sister managed to take pictures and sent them with the letter." Lily reached into her the bag hanging from her shoulder and pulled out a small stack of photographs. She gave them to Severus who passed them on, one by one. Suddenly Sirius yelped and Severus breathed in sharply. "The man is Regulus Black." "That's my cousin, Narcissa Malfoy." They said at the same time.

"Congrats, guys." said a raspy voice from the bed. "Run your spells, Letha, then I can tell what I've been doing."


	6. Hiding

**Hiding**

Nora Blake wasn't particularly strong magically; she wasn't very intelligent either and she knew this but she also knew her strengths. Nora was best at persuading people of some thing or another. When she decided to change someone's mind about something, anything, they changed their mind.

Her only failures up to date were Peter Pettigrew and Nora herself. Peter was three years younger than Nora and she had considered him an easy target. Somehow, he had changed her whole life with his refusal to join the Dark Lord. He had made her question everything she believed in, everything she thought she knew, simply by saying "Family is everything. And friends are the family we choose." That was when she knew he was a lost cause. She had tried everything and he stood his ground. It wasn't her fault. Of course, the Dark Lord didn't quite agree with her and he punished her for her failure. She didn't break under torture, neither magical nor physical, so the Dark Lord decided to change tactics.

Nora watched him torture and brutally murder her sister Emily without so much as batting an eye. Her composure held until she arrived at home, she made it through telling her parents and through listening to Mother's sobs at the dinner table. She managed to get all the way to her rooms which she hastily locked with her wand and surrounded with a Bubble of Silence before she finally broke down.

She began with crying quietly until her eyes ran dry, followed by raging war against every breakable object in her room, ending with howls of pain and grief and guilt.

Around midnight she felt a touch of magic as Father renewed and strengthened the charms she'd placed around her room that night.

They didn't speak of It. All pictures including Emily were taken off the walls, save for the portrait in the Hall of Ancestors, and even there it was concealed by a white sheet and a Bubble of Silence.

Nora tried, but every attempt at persuading herself that Emily's death was for the better and that she needed to learn her lesson, failed miserably. Eventually she gave up trying.

And that was why she was back at Hogwarts now, standing in the circular room with the dead Headmasters and Headmistresses pretending to be asleep. She'd been told by several different people, none of whom had any connections to one another, that Dumbledore could help her.

She didn't offer to spy for 'the Good Guys' (it was her private joke which she only dared mention in the relative safety of her own mind). Nora wasn't brave or reckless or selfless or heroic or whatever people called stupidity these days. She just wanted out.

So she told Dumbledore everything she knew about the Dark Lord and some things she didn't _know _and only guessed.

She pretended not to see that annoying twinkle in his eyes and the way his gaze seemed to pin her soul to the wall.

She was suddenly sure that she would never be able to persuade the Headmaster of anything he didn't want to be persuaded of, and he could probably get her to believe and do anything he wanted. The thought scared her more than she cared to admit.

Lucius Malfoy returned to his Manor feeling incredibly satisfied. He'd managed to bribe two Aurors and threaten one of the older members of the Wizen Gamot into doing his bidding. And by extension the Dark Lord. Everything was going well, the Ministry was nearly theirs. The Dark Lord had praised him and therefore Lucius was in high spirits. The thought of returning to his only son and heir cheered him up even more. He'd start the child's lessons in September to ensure his influence, power and control over Draco. Narcissa wouldn't approve but that could be helped with the use of a few charms and potions. Nothing harmful, not in the long run, but it would make her complacent and obedient. He might even have her return to his bed.

It was nearly five and Draco usually took a nap during that time. Lucius decided to have a cup of tea with his wife, start her treatment, and visit his son when he woke.

He went to the sitting room and sent a house elf to serve tea and another to get Narcissa. Both elves squeaked fearfully but Lucius paid them no mind. They weren't worth his attention.

Dudley was crying. Petunia could hear him and she usually rushed to soothe him but today he would have to wait. She was watching the video from her parents' funeral. She saw herself, wearing a long black dress; Vernon in his suit; they had left Dudley with Vernon's sister Marge that day. Petunia watched Lily, puffy red eyes, with a death grip on her husband's arm. The Snape boy (Petunia had to remind herself that he was a man now) looked similarly exhausted and was obviously grieving. The two wore similar long black cloaks which weren't quite normal but they also didn't look like the strange things she had seen Lily wear before. Petunia couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips when she saw that Lily and the Snape boy (_man_) were the only _strange_ people there.

Dudley shrieked making Petunia return to the present with a jolt. She went to feed her son, change him and take out the trash. The rest of the day was spent between taking care of Dudley, keeping the house clean and preparing dinner before Vernon came home. But the memory of the funeral wouldn't leave her thoughts. It caused a lingering, empty sort of ache in her chest, which she just couldn't shake off.

She tried not to notice the wet spots that appeared on Dudley's shirt while she rocked him to sleep.

The house was a bit dusty, very old and creaky but otherwise acceptable. Of course Narcissa only found it 'acceptable' because she didn't really have a choice at the moment. Draco was still crying from the portkey journey and Regulus disappeared into the surprisingly extensive library the second he finished telling her where to find which rooms. It took a while for her to calm Draco but eventually he was happily zooming around on a toy broom while Narcissa unpacked. It was a tedious process and it made her appreciate house-elves all the more. Then she took Draco exploring.

The ground floor was occupied by a joint kitchen-and-dining room, a living room, a toilet and the library. The bedrooms were all on the first floor but Narcissa couldn't even begin to guess what might be on the second floor.

Narcissa rarely saw Regulus over the next week. He wasn't in the house by the time she woke up in the mornings and he usually returned for a small lunch, only to lock himself into the library until supper. They ate their evening meals together but, try as she might, Narcissa never managed to steer the conversation to anything more serious than the weather.

She found herself constantly thanking whatever higher power there was for the existence of magic. If only because it allowed her to bring almost all of Draco's toys in a single box about the size of a very large book.

A pleasant surprise was Draco's complete lack of questions about where they were, why they were there or about Lucius. It both awed and scared her how much Draco seemed to trust her and how little he seemed to miss his father.

The first interesting thing happened on Tuesday afternoon, the eleventh day of Narcissa and Draco's stay in Regulus' house. Draco was painting in the corner and Narcissa was reading the _Daily Prophet _when Regulus started shouting and cheering in the library. Before Narcissa could react, her cousin burst out of the library grinning widely. "We're eating out tonight. I've finally found what I was looking for all this time. That would be reason enough to celebrate but I was contacted by Severus today. He can arrange to pick up you and Draco by noon tomorrow. You'll be safe then." Slowly, a smile spread across Narcissa's face. She was free and her son was safe. Finally.

The next morning had her running around the house collecting the toys Draco had spread everywhere. The only thing she didn't have to look for was his favourite stuffed animal. It was an eagle that never left Draco's sight. Lucius had once taken it away and replaced it with a snake and Draco had spent two hours crying before he fell into a fitful sleep. When Narcissa had brought the bird with her the next day, Draco had attached himself to her and not let go of either her or the stuffed eagle.

Narcissa shook herself from her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door.

She glanced at her wristwatch as she hurried downstairs. Severus was early by almost twenty minutes. Wrenching the door open she said, "I'm so glad you're here. Come in, I'm almost done-" and then she realized that the man before her did not have black hair. He was blond.

Narcissa slammed the door in her husband's face and locked it with the key and her wand before shouting, "Draco! Hide!" She'd done this often lately, making it a game and she knew he would do as she said. Lucius would not find him; Draco was too good at finding near inaccessible hiding places.

She was in the kitchen when she heard the door open. She ran.


	7. The Meeting Point

**The Meeting Point**

When he finished interrogating her Dumbledore told Nora the address she would be staying at and sent her through the Floo. He followed directly after her and showed her to one of the bedrooms upstairs.  
The house was nice enough, a bit small perhaps but then, Nora was used to huge Manors. Everything was decorated in warm soft colours; light shades of blue, green, yellow and cream, accented here and there by large flowery patterns and bold splashes of deep red.  
The bedroom itself had a single bed in the corner to the left of the door, a closet directly across it, there was a desk in front of the window a meter or so beside the closet. The walls were pale green and the bedspread was a nice emerald. The room was a bit bare but Nora considered it a necessary evil she would have to endure until this was over, one way or another.

"_Congrats, guys." said a raspy voice from the bed. "Run your spells, Letha, then I can tell you what I've been doing."_

Jessika watched as all movement (including breathing) ceased for the length of a heartbeat, before Aletha and Severus descended upon Peter and bombarded him with all sorts of questions, spells and, in Severus' case, potions. Kassandra slipped out the door, looking ill and something compelled Jessika to follow her. Closing the door, she nearly missed the bushy mane disappear around the corner and she ran to catch up. She found Kassandra hanging over the toilet, sobbing and dry-heaving.

"Would you like to talk?" The question made Kassandra's head whip around so sharply Jessika feared it might twist off her neck.

"No, not really." She answered and proceeded to empty her stomach into the toilet. Jessika was by Kassandra's side in an instant, rubbing her back with one hand and holding her hair away from her face with the other. When the other woman stopped retching Jessika got up and filled a plastic cup with water and handed it to Kassandra so she could rinse her mouth.

"You okay now?" she asked. Kassandra nodded but didn't say anything else while they returned to Peter's room.

The place was still a flurry of activity when Jessika opened the door but now the cheerfulness seemed a bit forced. Peter was sitting up in bed and smiling but Jessika could see the way he was playing with his fingers.

Kassandra walked past her to Peter's bed and planted a kiss on his lips.

Jessika closed the door and followed, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Jessika Reynolds. Pleased to meet you." Peter shook her hand and grinned. "I'm Peter Pettigrew but I'm sure you already know that. You're the girl Remus went to save a few months ago, aren't you?" Jessika nodded and grinned back. "I'm afraid that's enough of the pleasantries. How long was I out anyway?" he asked looking at Aletha.

She opened her mouth to answer when a loud cry interrupted the relative silence in the house. "Sorry, that's Pandora. I have to feed her." She said before she hurried from the room.

"Lily, Severus, James and Sirius. Come here, there's something we need to discuss. Kassandra, Jessika and Remus, you'll need to help too." While they gathered around the foot of his bed in a half-circle Peter began searching for his wand. Kassandra handed it to him, still silent. "Thanks. So, I spent the last week sorting through far too many visions to count and my brain locked most of them away but I found out a few very interesting things." He turned to Sirius and held out his hand. "I'd like to see that photograph Lily's sister sent." Sirius handed it over and Peter enlarged it and made it float. He pointed at Narcissa Malfoy with his wand and said, "She is the daffodil." Little Draco Malfoy was next, "He is the dragon." He reversed the magic he'd used on the photo and pointed the wand at Lily, "You are the fire lily." Then Severus, "You are the black mamba." James, "You are the stag." Sirius, "You are the Grim."

Peter waved his wand in the air and suddenly there was a picture hovering between him and his friends. A scene began to play out. They watched as a daffodil and a dragon grew pale and fearful and separate in the harsh light until a stag, a black dog, a black snake and a fire lily appeared. Once again Jessika watched the others' reactions. Severus' face showed understanding, so did Lily's. Sirius looked a bit confused and James seemed to be torn between understanding and apprehension and maybe anger. Remus' usual calm expression was marred by a bit of worry and Kassandra seemed completely unconcerned. "Ok, I think I get it." Severus said, "I only have one question. What or who is the light."

Peter waved his wand again, and the picture shifted, showing a figure inside the light. "Can you think of anyone whose name has something to do with light? Someone close to the dragon and the daffodil?"

Remus' face lit up a bit and he answered, "The Light bringer, Lucius means Light bringer. It's Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa's husband and Draco's father. If Petunia's photo's and letter are accurate, Regulus Black helped his cousin escape from Lucius, and by extension Voldemort. In that context, I think it's safe to assume Lucius will eventually find them, and Sirius and James are supposed to protect them while Lily and Severus help them escape. Did I miss anything?" Peter shook his head grinning.

"Nope, you got it all in one." His expression turned thoughtful. "I don't know when this is supposed to happen though. We'll just have to wait and see."

'Waiting and seeing' turned out to be much more tedious than any of them could have anticipated.

Kassandra and Peter spent most of the following week locked in Peter's room. In fact, Kassandra had all but moved in with her boyfriend.

Remus and Jessika spent quite some time preparing for the full moon. That was much more difficult in a house than it had been out in the woods.

Lily and Severus had and appointment with a Healer on the day of the full moon.

Sirius and Aletha were usually up all night because Pandora had started teething.

Since the day Peter woke up James had completely thrown himself into his work. He ignored all of his friends' concerns and somehow managed to solve every case he was assigned to. His behaviour had even Severus worried.

It was somewhat surprising that none of them even noticed the new houseguest. On the other hand, Nora always kept to herself. She ate her meals in her room and occupied herself with drawing in her free time.

On the second day of 'Waiting and seeing' Severus received a letter, addressed in familiar, delicate handwriting.

_Dear Severus,_

_You'll be pleased to hear that I have renounced the Dark Lord. However, my reason for contacting you is a different one altogether._

_I'm sure you've heard of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy's flight from Lucius and the Dark Lord. Narcissa would like to request sanctuary, and special protection for her son. As her cousin I'm willing to help her but I can only do so much._

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Regulus A. Black_

He immediately handed Lily the letter and went to write a response. The letter had them all excited for a few days but when no new letter arrived by the time three days had passed the general mood drooped back into a mix of helplessness and hopelessness. Only Kassandra and Peter could be seen giggling frequently while Lily began to have extremely violent mood swings.

The next letter arrived on day nine of 'Waiting and seeing'. It was a simple note asking Severus to go to a specific location to pick up Narcissa and Draco.

Severus replied with an equally short note saying that he would be there by noon two days later.

James, Sirius, Severus and Lily spent all of day eleven preparing for their rescue mission.

When they arrived outside the house everything was quiet. At least until a bright red blot of light shattered one of the windows. All of them drew their wands and James and Sirius led the way to the house. The inside of the house was inviting, friendly and open. The furniture and walls were decorated in different shades of blue. Lily's attention was pulled away from the decoration by a high scream. James and Sirius ran upstairs leaving Severus and Lily to investigate the ground floor.

They found nothing in the kitchen, and the library was locked with a spell Severus identified as Dark Magic. The bathroom was empty too. Lily tried to ignore the shouts and crashes from upstairs while she and Severus searched the living room.

Another scream nearly made her drop the bookshelf she was levitating. She put it down very slowly, trying to calm her nerves and watched Severus check the sofa. The woman upstairs (_Narcissa_, Lily's mind supplied) screamed again and this time she was joined by a smaller voice, somewhere on the ground floor. "Draco." Severus whispered and shot down the corridor toward a door under the stairs. Lily followed a bit more slowly. Just before Severus reached the little door it opened and a small boy shot out. He ran directly into Severus and started babbling. "Mummy, where mummy? Mummy hurt?" Severus picked the little boy up and was nearly suffocated when a small pair of arms wrapped around his neck.

The two adults exchanged a worried glance over Draco's head and suddenly Lily remembered what Peter's vision had said about the lily and the daffodil. She sent Severus another glance and ran upstairs.

The farther she got the louder the sounds of fighting became. Suddenly James crashed through one of the doors to her right, directly followed by Lucius Malfoy. Lily somehow managed to slip by him unnoticed. Sirius was crouched by Narcissa's side but he kept glancing out the door worriedly. "Go on." Lily said and took his place.

"Hi, I'm Lily. Severus has Draco, and James and Sirius are taking care of Lucius. Can you walk?" Narcissa nodded and smiled weakly. "He hit me with the Cruciatus but my dear cousin interrupted him before he could do damage. Let's go."

They made very slow progress and Lily kept up a silent tirade at the Anti-Apparition wards. After nearly five minutes, which felt like five hours, they finally made it to the front door. Severus was already outside and moved to help them as soon as he saw them. The four of them switched around a bit and left the house, Draco clinging tightly to Lily and Narcissa supported by Severus. They made it to the street without trouble but then Draco cried out in distress and Lily whipped around wand drawn. From the corner of her eye she could see Severus and Narcissa manoeuvring around to face the house once more. The thing that had scared Draco was his own father who was already halfway down the lawn, holding a wand to Sirius' neck. _The idiot lost his wand_, Lily thought.

"Leave! Don't let him get you! Severus, take care of Lily, and you should make sure he stays so nice, Lils. And have fun turning Malfoy's kid into a Gryffindor!" He was punished for that last sentence with a nasty but harmless hex from Lucius. Luckily for Sirius, James came running from the house in that moment and shot a Stunner at Lucius' back. He missed by an inch but only because Lucius chose that second to shift his weight. In reaction Lucius let go of Sirius and engaged James in a duel. Dodging stray spells, Sirius made his way over to Lily, Draco, Severus and Narcissa.

"We've got to get out of here. James is going to Apparate the moment he notices we're gone. Unfortunately this is the best plan we could come up with on such short notice." He glanced back at his best friend. "A word of advice, Apparate to headquarters separately and make sure to make at least three stops and then Apparate within walking distance. Good luck!" and with that he began shooting spells at Lucius.

Severus and Lily did as Sirius said. Lily arrived first, Draco crying in her arms. She was unbelievably grateful when Severus arrived with Narcissa ten minutes later. By then Draco wasn't crying so much as sobbing quietly. The moment he saw his mother he started smiling and reaching for her until Lily had to put him down to avoid dropping him.

They were welcomed by an angry Aletha, worried Jessika, relieved but calm Remus and a smirking Peter. Kassandra didn't really react, except to giggle whenever she looked at Lily or Severus. They spent another half hour worrying until a large silver dog came in through the closed window and stopped in front of Aletha. It opened its mouth and Sirius' voice said, "Everything's fine. We're on the way. Malfoy escaped." Aletha sagged as if someone had stunned her. Lily thought she heard her whisper 'Thank the heavens.'

Another fifteen minutes later the front door opened making Aletha jump from her seat and run to greet her husband. The others hung back a bit to let her compose herself before they intruded on such a private scene.

The moment the couple entered the living room Sirius was attacked with hugs and kisses (only on the cheek, of course) and '_Glad you're back_'s. Severus only sneered and shot a spell at Sirius making him glow in all colours of the rainbow. When Sirius was back to his non-glowing state Severus sneered again and said, "Too bad you weren't hit with anything worth noting."

Sirius laughed and kissed Aletha. They chatted for a while until Sirius began nodding off against his wife's shoulder and it was decided that it was time for all of them to go to bed.

To everyone's surprise it was Narcissa who asked, "Where is Mr. Potter?"


	8. Teaser

**Teaser**

Something crashed against the door and Lily tightened her arms around Evan. James threw a glance at her before his eyes went back to the door.

The next crash was accompanied by shuddering and groaning of the wooden door and frame. Lily huddled in a corner, curled protectively around her sleeping son. She cursed herself for leaving her wand when she went to take Evan for a walk that morning. Then she wished fervently Severus was here with her.

'_No use wishing.' _She thought, watching James chant complicated spells to keep the door intact.

He winced a bit when the next crash sounded. Then, with a last pained look at the cracks in the wood, he turned from the door and came over to pull Lily on her feet.

He led her to the corner behind the door saying, "Stay there and be quiet until it's safe to run. And for Merlin's sake, don't stop for anything." He stared at her until she nodded, feeling numb. "I love you, Lily. Never forget that." James seemed to want to say more, but then he shook his head, closed his eyes and kissed her intently for a moment.

He hurried toward to other side of the room, wand gripped tightly in his left hand.

A moment later the door crashed open, narrowly missing Lily and Evan.

A tall man with dark hair and red eyes strode in, wand lifted, robes billowing. Lily supposed she might have called him attractive if she didn't know he was Lord Voldemort himself.

Following James' instructions she inched out from behind the door as the two men began to duel. But before she could run Voldemort paused in attacking James to bind Lily to the wall with thick tight ropes.

Evan started to squirm and whimper against her chest.

James, seeing her, distracted Voldemort by keeping him under constant attack while he made his way over to Lily.

She saw the red eyes narrow and shouted, whether in warning or in fear she couldn't say, and then a bolt of green light shot from Voldemort's wand.

The ropes kept her from shielding Evan even is she'd had the time.

The Killing Curse struck and the world stopped.

* * *

**AN:** Well, this is a glimpse into the events of part three...and a bit of encouragement to vote in the poll on my profile concerning this story. It's quite necessary to the editing process of Different Too, and as a result for my continuing in part three.


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